


Dried Out

by hazellepotter



Series: Summer Love [1]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Bickering, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, F/M, Grief, Light Angst, Love, Romance, Sarcasm, Summer, Summer Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-01
Updated: 2017-07-01
Packaged: 2018-11-22 01:59:59
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,365
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11370204
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hazellepotter/pseuds/hazellepotter
Summary: His brown eyes were serious, but she noticed that there was still a light-heartedness hidden beneath them. It perplexed her that his eyes could display such contradicting emotions at the same time.





	Dried Out

**Author's Note:**

> This is for the Summer Vacation Challenge held by the Harry Potter Rare-Pair Network and Serpent and Lion Network on Tumblr. This is also dedicated to the user @flntwood on Tumblr who requested I write about this pairing.
> 
> Check out these networks and their challenges at these links if you're interested:  
> http://hprarepairnet.tumblr.com  
> http://slytherdornet.tumblr.com

Cho assumed her summer would be full of grief after she lost Cedric. It was hard for her to concentrate on her favorite time of year. She didn’t feel like swimming, she didn’t feel like camping, and she certainly _did not_ feel like eating frozen custard. That was Cedric’s favorite dessert.

It was all too much for her, and she cried herself to sleep every night for the first month until she was sure she completely dried herself out.

It wasn’t until one afternoon that she finally decided to go outside and soak in some sun. She went into her backyard and sat on her tree swing. It was her favorite place to go as a young kid, and it always helped her clear her mind.

She thought back on how she hated being an only child when she was young, but now, it was great to have this place to herself. She supposed it sounded selfish, but she needed a place to call her own.

The summer breeze felt good against her skin, and her long silky hair brushed against her back. She closed her eyes and tried to focus on the simple sensation. _It was the little things that were going to get her by._

She was interrupted from her relaxing trance when she heard her mother talking to an unfamiliar voice. Curiously, she jumped off of her swing and traced her hand against the wooden fence as she walked to her front yard. She made it to her front yard and saw her mother talking to a handsome man who appeared to be their new neighbor.

She could tell her mother was attracted to the man, because she was blushing and constantly flattening her hair. Cho couldn't really blame her. 

“Oh Cho!” her mother exclaimed, “It’s so great you’re out here. This is our new neighbor, Richard Davies. His family has moved in right next door from Godric’s Hollow.”

Cho forced a polite smile in Richard’s direction and shook his hand.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, sir.”

“My son has told me a lot about you, Cho. I’m assuming you remember Roger from school? He’s currently in our house unpacking, but he will be happy to know that you live next door.”

Cho’s body stiffened, and she cleared her throat.

 _She knew about Roger all right_. He had attempted to ask her out _a week_ after Cedric died. She thought he was disgusting and arrogant, and now he was her _neighbor._

“I do know your son,” she replied.

Richard smiled, and Cho watched as he turned his head around to look back at his family. They were levitating items into their new home, and that’s when Cho caught sight of him outside.

Roger had matured since she saw him last month. He matured so much that Cho almost didn’t recognize him, and she didn’t understand how someone could change in such a short amount of time. 

He was wearing a white tank top that revealed his collarbones and his muscular arms were on full display. He was larger than before, and Cho caught herself gaping.

It was as though he could read her mind, because he turned his head around in the direction of his father’s voice and caught sight of her. He smiled _flirtatiously_ at her, and Cho felt an overwhelming urge to hex him.

She hoped, _she prayed_ , that he wouldn’t walk over. Naturally, her wish wasn’t granted. Nothing in the universe seemed to be on her side lately.

“Cho, isn’t it wonderful news that we’re now neighbors?” he asked her boldly, “I have to say, I’m pretty darn excited about it.”

She glanced over to check that their parents were still talking; she wanted to make sure they were distracted before she could give him a candid response. Her mother now seemed to be in a deep conversation with Roger’s mum, and Richard Davies appeared to be back in his own yard so he could finish levitating furniture into their new home.

“I have to say I’m _not_ excited that you’re here,” Cho hissed, “I wanted to spend my summer alone to get over Cedric. Or did you forget about him? It appeared you did when you asked me out _a week_ after his funeral. _Who the bloody hell does that?_ ”

She expected him to smirk at her, but he surprised her by awkwardly rubbing the back of his neck. He looked ashamed of himself, but she wasn’t going to let that cloud her judgment of him. This could be an act for all she knew. He was smart, _but so was she._

“Look, that was wrong of me-“ he started, but Cho cut him off and raised her hand.

“I don’t want to hear it. Why don’t you just leave me alone this summer, then we can go back to school in September and act like we weren’t even neighbors, yeah?”

He was about to reply, but she didn’t give him a chance to. Instead, she turned around and walked back to her backyard.

 

* * *

 

Two days went by, and Roger didn’t bother her. She figured he got the message the first day he moved in. She thought that maybe she could actually grieve this summer in peace, but she was quickly proven wrong.

She was laying on her back porch trying to get a tan when he came to bother her again. She watched him as he climbed over her fence. She tried to act like she didn't notice him, but once he reached her, he looked down at her until she took her sunglasses off and acknowledged him.

“I thought I told you to leave me alone this summer-“ Cho started, but this time, he interrupted her.

“Look, what I did was shitty, Chang. I’m not denying that, but can’t we just forget about it? I’m bored, and it’s _summer._ Let’s do shit. You need to take your mind off of what happened, it isn’t healthy for you sitting around grieving alone.”

“You don’t know anything about what is good or bad for me. I would rather be by myself, _thanks._ ”

_“You know that’s not true.”_

She was about to argue, but she stood up instead to look him straight in the eye.

His brown eyes were serious, but she noticed that there was still a _light-heartededness_  hidden beneath them. It perplexed her that his eyes could display such contradicting emotions at the same time. She furrowed her brows and crossed her arms.

“Let’s say I take you up on your offer,” she replied, “What would you even want to _do?_ There isn’t much to do here in this village.”

He smiled at her as though he won a bet.

“Well, for starters. We could eat some ice cream. Maybe we could swap books? That’s something that happens in muggle summer romance movies, I heard-“

“You study up on muggles?”

“Yeah, don’t you?”

She blinked a few times and looked down at her hands to pick at the skin by her nails. It was nervous habit her mother always tried to get her to kick.

When she didn’t answer him, he sighed.

“Was Cedric into studying muggle culture? Cause if he was, we don’t have to-“

“No,” she answered him quickly, “He wasn’t into studying muggle culture. He was more interested in discussing Quidditch with me.”

“What else was the famous Cedric Diggory into?”

She couldn’t do this, it was too painful. She had to find a reason to escape. She collected her towel and sunglasses from the ground and slipped them back onto her body. She attempted to avoid eye contact with him as she spoke.

“I-I have to go to town with my mum. I’ll see you around.”

She had almost completely turned the knob on her back door when he spoke up.

“Cho, don’t go. _I’m sorry._ We don’t have to talk about Cedric.”

She glanced back at him and examined him closely. He was wearing swimming trunks and tight white t-shirt. His dark hair needed to be trimmed, because he kept blowing strands of it out of his eyes, and his hands were gripping the hem of his shorts in anticipation. She assumed it was his nervous habit.

But his hands were large, and they looked _strong._ She gulped. No, she _really_ couldn’t do this.

“It-it isn’t that,” she lied, “I really have to go.”

Roger's mouth open and closed quickly. She took that as her chance to slip through her door quietly. When she got inside and turned around to look out the window, he had gone.

 

* * *

 

Cho decided to give him a chance the next day, and the day after that, _and the day after that._

Their friendship grew rather quickly by the time August came around. They woke up early in the morning to watch the sunrise, and they hung out until sunset. Cho learned that there was a side to Roger Davies that he didn’t let others at Hogwarts see.

He wasn’t arrogant, he wasn’t entitled. He was just a normal guy who was trying to figure out his _purpose._

They were up in the tree in Cho’s backyard. They had climbed to the top and were holding on; Cho had to grab him a few times so he wouldn’t fall backwards. He was clumsy, she found it _cute._

She watched him as he watched the sunset, and that’s when she realized he was _beautiful._ His need for a purpose was endearing, and the fact that there was so much more to him beneath the surface made him real and oddly relatable. But there was one problem.

She felt guilty, because she was _falling for him_. She felt like it was too soon to be moving on from Cedric, and it wasn’t right. She shouldn’t be feeling this happy so soon. Cedric had _died._

Roger turned his head around to see her staring at him. She was deep in thought, and he raised his left brow.

“Is everything okay, Chang?” he asked, “You seem really in your head."

She shook her head as though she was trying to shake her thoughts away and blushed slightly. She hoped he didn’t notice.

“I _-I’m fine,_ ” she lied, “I was just thinking about how summer goes by too quickly every year.”

He studied her face for a moment, and she looked forward at the sunset to avoid his gaze. She was a bad liar; her eyes were always her tell.

“You’re lying,” he challenged, “What are you thinking about?”

She sighed. She felt like that was all she could do.

_“I don’t want to talk about it.”_

“Is it about how you’re starting to feel something for me and how you feel bad because of Cedric?”

Stunned at his words, she snapped her head back in his direction. She didn’t say anything, but she didn’t have to.

He adjusted himself on the branch he was occupying so he was now directly facing her. His eyes were intense, and she felt like he was able to see into her _soul._

“Cedric would want you to be happy, Cho,” he told her, “And I’m not just saying that because I want you to be mine. I’m saying that because Cedric was a good person. He wouldn’t want you to go through his loss alone, and he certainly wouldn’t want you to avoid finding someone else because of him. He would want you to find someone to help you take the pain away. I’m not saying I will ever replace him, because I won’t. He was a much better person than I’ll ever be, but I don’t want you to ignore what you’re feeling because you’re feeling guilty. You have no reason to feel guilty, Cho. Cedric wouldn’t want you to feel this way. Cedric died, but you didn't. He would want you to feel _alive._ ”

She blinked a few times as she processed his words and looked down at her hands. She started to pick the skin around her nails again, but he surprised her by placing his hand on top of hers so she couldn’t continue. _That was the first time they ever touched._

“This habit isn’t good for your hands,” he commented, “You could get an infection.”

She glanced up to see him looking at her. His eyes were soft, they were expressing something from deep within him she had never seen before.

Cho was overwhelmed with emotion. She was not the type to act impulsively, but she did the most impulsive thing she could think of.

_She kissed him._

His lips were chapped, and he didn’t respond immediately. She attempted to pull away because of her own embarrassment and shame, but he gently grabbed the back of her neck so she would stay in place. He hesitantly parted her lips with his tongue, and she _let him._

He tasted like the chocolate ice cream cone he had eaten earlier, and all Cho could think about was that she wanted more, more, _more._

_Something so wrong shouldn’t feel so right._

When they finally pulled away, the sun had gone down. The sky was almost black. She took a deep breath and looked down still trying avoid his eyes. Roger cupped her cheek with his left hand, and she realized he was wiping away a tear she didn’t know she had let escape.

“Why do I feel guilty when this feels so right?” she whispered to him, “Why can’t I just let myself accept that Cedric would be okay with this?”

“Look at me,” he pleaded softly.

She looked up in his eyes, and he gave her a small comforting smile.

“Because you loved him, Cho. You _still_ love him, and that’s okay. _You will always love him._ ”

It was then that the tears she thought she had permanently lost found their way back. _Her eyes were far from dry._  

He kept wiping her cheeks as he held her, and eventually, she felt Roger’s tears merge with her own.

“It’s okay,” he soothed her, _“It’s okay.”_

And for the first time in a long time, Cho believed him. _She believed that it would be okay after-all._ She just couldn't do this alone.


End file.
